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"It is really, as I would call it, a sweetheart deal," State Senator Jabo Waggoner said.

That sweetheart deal is for Birmingham Water Works Board members. According to Waggoner, they get paid $285 for every meeting where the board is discussed and have no transparency how much and where they travel.

But the main beef of the republican from Vestavia Hills is how much the board is spending on lobbyists to fight his bill that would rein them in, essentially controlling what they do and who sits on the board.

"And for the life of me, I do not understand why the existing board would hire about every lobbyist in Montgomery to fight this bill," Waggoner said.

Waggoner claims the board spent $500,000 last year. Water Works General Manager Mac Underwood said it has spent $300,000.

"I'll say the board feels like it's justified in spending that money on lobbyists," Underwood said.

According to former representative Paul DeMarco, with two-thirds of ratepayers from outside Birmingham, both he and Waggoner also believe there should be more representation on the board from outside the Magic City.

Underwood said 91 percent of customers are in Jefferson County, that's where 95 percent of the revenue comes from. He doesn't see a need for any changes.

Waggoner said last year’s bill was defeated due to politics. He said he has the votes to pass it this year.

According to Birmingham Water Works, there is no cap on lobbying spending. It will continue to get the word out that it provides quality water and service to all its customers.